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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

a (not so quick) quick update

It's been a while since I posted but I don't want you to think that I've been taking a vacation from my documentary because it's actually the opposite. I've been so busy with a hundred different things that I keep forgetting to post updates. So here's the scoop:

I have been planning a trip to Vancouver / Seattle to visit Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore, authors of the book Yarn Bombing, yarn graffiti scholar Jessica Glesby, and maybe the Seattle-based group Yarn Core (I'm still waiting for confirmation). John and I leave for this trip on Friday morning and come back on Labor Day. It's going to be really exciting. There are a lot of things to think about when planning a trip for a documentary. It's not just hotels and rental cards, I've been having to secure equipment, release forms, scout locations for places I've never been. I've been reading and reading about my interview subjects and writing question. I've even made a shot list of what I think we should shoot. So needless to say, it's a lot of work.

There's been a shift in my crew. I'm happy to announce that Taylor Hagan has joined the prestigious rank of producer along side Spencer Stoner. John is taking a hiatus from producing to work on his own project (check it out, it's pretty incredible, ONCE AGAIN). With Taylor and Spencer behind me, I know we're going to get more organized and get this thing made. Now none of my crew, Spencer, Taylor or John, can knit or crochet but they are all lovers of the craft. Hopefully by the end of this project I will teach them how to knit or crochet so that they can have some yarn cred* in the community.

Lots of other fun things going on with the documentary. More grant applications. We're currently looking into securing fiscal sponsorship. I've also been toying around with the idea of getting an intern to help me get my footage transcribed and organized. One thing to know about documentary filmmaking, is that it's a lot of planning, a lot of quick thinking, and a lot of work in post-production to make everything come together. It's never ending as far as the workday goes. I dream about making my doc. I'm starting to realize that documentary filmmakers must be a little crazy because it's a very unpredictable life that is almost constant stress, but I love it.

Last night I was happy to attend a Documentary Filmmaker Panel sponsored by a group at the University of Texas at Austin, Women In Cinema. The panelists Laura Sobel, director of Cereal: History in a Bowl,Rakeda Lashae, documentary television director, and Mike Nicholson, producer of Better This World came together for an evening of shared non-fiction filmmaking secrets. I was really inspired by each of the panelists. As I heard them talk about their struggles, it gave me strength to persevere through this tough patch. I know that I'm on the right path.

* Yarn Cred is similar to Street Cred but it has to pertain to the world of crafts specifically the fibered arts. I don't think I came up with this on my own, I'm sure I've heard this or read this. Actually I think someone praised me and my documentary because I have yarn cred. Yarn Cred - Commanding a level of respect in the craft world environment due to experience in or knowledge of issues affecting those environments.